Four questions with Lisa Grabenstetter
Here's our next Q&A, with Lisa Grabenstetter, our cover artist and interior illustrator.
Visual art can be a form of storytelling. What's important to you when you are trying to tell a story in your work?
Oh, I'd say that visual art is always storytelling. Even when the message or story being told is very simple, successful art forces you to construct a narrative out of your past experiences in order to make that message make sense. A canvas painted an unmitigated bright red will make its audience dredge up their feelings regarding the color red. If you put a tiny spot of green in the middle of it, you'll have many people thinking about Christmas and some of them identifying with the tiny, lonely green spot in a vast sea of hostile red. But you'll have some people who think you're talking about Communism, others environmentalism, and those who know their art history will think you're trying to revive the Color Field movement.
So as an artist you have to be really, extremely aware of what your audience will be bringing to the table. Especially if you're an illustrator, since your job is to complement the story you're illustrating through visual representation of the characters, and evoke the proper mood and setting. You're also trying to produce an illustration that also works as a standalone piece of art that communicates a story all on its own. Hopefully the one you're trying to tell. Obviously you can't account for every little stray memory or emotion that might be brought up by your work, but it's extremely important to own up to your influences and keep track of the meaning of your subjects!
That's my rather long-winded answer: I try to be to be extremely aware of the political and artistic contexts that viewers will bring to my work, and use that to my advantage whenever possible!
What are your favorite kinds of stories to read, and are those the same as the kind of stories you like to illustrate?
I read a great deal. Mostly SFF and horror, folklore, science and historical nonfiction, and the occasional mystery novel. I particularly love SFF/horror stories that focus on flawed protagonists with complex inner lives finding themselves caught up in the narrative either by accident or by reason of their weaknesses or strengths. I'm not a big fan of "chosen ones" (unless they're Link from Zelda, he gets a pass.) I'm also progressive and feminist, so I tend to throw across the room and yell at books that depict their female, LGBTQI, and POC characters poorly.
This all definitely has a great impact on my art; when I'm creating personal work it's usually being driven by a strong personal need to depict some of the sorts of characters and emotions that are evoked by my preferred reading. I also write, and these are the sorts of stories that tend to trickle out of my pen and keyboard as well.
Do you have a piece of art of yours that we can share that tells a story?
Certainly!
Oh, my goodness. This could be an even longer answer than the first question, if I let it get there. The short answer is: monsters are awesome and everyone likes to draw them, right?
The longer answer involves my lifelong fascination with folklore from different cultures (sparked by the fact that I moved around Europe so much as a kid and had so many friends from different countries), my love of birding and paleontology, and the fact that pokémon came to the US when I was 13. Construct a timeline from those facts, I suppose.
Lisa Grabenstetter was raised by trees. Or among trees, depending on how you'd like to phrase it. She has a degree in fine arts Printmaking (of all things) from Cleveland Institute of Art, and has done work for GUD Magazine, Crossed Genres, and 826 among others. She likes to draw monsters. Find her online at magneticcrow.com and on Twitter @magneticcrow.
283
Backers
$6,675
pledged of $6,500 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Oct 1, 2012 -
Oct 22, 2012
- 4 created · 61 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
- Website: firesidemag.com
Pledge $2 or more
21 backers
You receive a PDF version of Issue Three.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $4 or more
38 backers
You receive PDF, Mobi (Kindle), and ePub (Nook, iPad, most other e-readers) versions of Issue Three.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $9 or more
59 backers
Fireside catch-up: You receive PDF, Mobi, and ePub versions of Issues One, Two, and Three.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $10 or more
51 backers Limited (149 of 200 left)
You receive a print version of Issue Three, which will be printed only once as a reward for Kickstarter backers. You will also receive PDF, Mobi, and ePub versions of Issue Three. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $15 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $15 or more
24 backers Limited (26 of 50 left)
You receive a Fireside bookmark, along with everything from the $10 reward level. (This is a different design from the bookmark reward in our first two Kickstarters.) Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $20 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $20 or more
20 backers All gone!
You receive print versions of Issues Two and Three, along with PDF, Mobi, and ePub versions of all three issues. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $25 or more
18 backers Limited (7 of 25 left)
You receive a print of the cover art signed by Lisa Grabenstetter, along with everything from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $25 or more
3 backers Limited (22 of 25 left)
You receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Daniel Abraham, along with everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $25 or more
6 backers Limited (19 of 25 left)
You receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Elizabeth Bear, along with everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $25 or more
0 backers Limited (25 of 25 left)
You receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Lucas J.W. Johnson, along with everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $25 or more
6 backers Limited (19 of 25 left)
You receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Mary Robinette Kowal, along with everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $25 or more
4 backers Limited (21 of 25 left)
You receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Rachel Deering and Christine Larsen, along with everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $30 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $40 or more
5 backers All gone!
You receive a mosaic Fireside coaster, handmade by my wife, along with everything from the $15 reward level. (This is a different design from the mosaic reward in our first two Kickstarters.) Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $45 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $50 or more
5 backers All gone!
You receive a signed paperback copy of the novel "The Dragon's Path" by Daniel Abraham, a print copy of Issue Three signed by Daniel, and everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $60 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $50 or more
5 backers All gone!
You receive a signed paperback copy of the novel "Range of Ghosts" by Elizabeth Bear, a print copy of Issue Three signed by Elizabeth, and everything else from the $15 reward level. (The "Range of Ghosts" paperback will be released in late January, so you'll get it in February. All the other pieces of this reward will come in December.) Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $60 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $50 or more
5 backers All gone!
You receive a signed copy of the novel "Shades of Milk and Honey" by Mary Robinette Kowal, a print copy of Issue Three signed by Mary, and everything else from the $15 reward level. Note: If you reside outside the United States, please pledge $60 for this reward to cover added shipping costs.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $75 or more
1 backer All gone!
A male character in Lucas J.W. Johnson's story will be named after you. (Note, this means your actual name. You don't get to choose the name.) You also receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Lucas, along with everything else from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $75 or more
0 backers Limited (2 of 2 left)
A character in Rachel Deering and Christine Larsen's comic will be named after you. (Note, this means your actual name. You don't get to choose the name.) You also receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Rachel and Christine, along with everything else from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $100 or more
4 backers Limited (2 of 6 left)
Your likeness will be used in an interior illustration by cover artist Lisa Grabenstetter. You will also receive an 8x10 print of the illustration, autographed by Lisa, along with everything from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $100 or more
1 backer All gone!
A character in Daniel Abraham's story will be named after you. (Note, this means your actual name. You don't get to choose the name.) You also receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Daniel, along with everything else from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $100 or more
1 backer All gone!
A character in Elizabeth Bear's story will be named after you. (Note, this means your actual name. You don't get to choose the name.) You also receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Elizabeth, along with everything else from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $100 or more
1 backer All gone!
A character in Mary Robinette Kowal's story will be named after you. (Note, this means your actual name. You don't get to choose the name.) You also receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Mary, along with everything else from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $100 or more
2 backers Limited (3 of 5 left)
You receive an autographed original inked page from the comic drawn by Christine Larsen. You also receive the print version of Issue Three, autographed by Rachel Deering and Christine, along with everything else from the $15 reward level.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Comments